A Nigerian-born nurse practitioner from Queens, New York, has been
charged in the killing of a developmentally disabled toddler who was
submerged in hot bath water.
Queens District Attorney Richard Brown says 54-year-old Oluyemisi
Adebayo was arrested at the John F. Kennedy Airport Wednesday just as
she was about to board a flight to Nigeria, via London.
Oluyemisi Adebayo: nabbed at JFK Airport after death of toddler
Authorities say Adebayo was taking care of 23-month-old Naomi Mondesire on April 21 when she prepared her for a bath.
The nurse allegedly told detectives she tested the water with her own
hand before placing Naomi in the tub. But she noticed pieces of skin
peeling off Naomi’s legs when she took her out.
Doctors told police Adebayo’s account of how the baby was burned was
inconsistent with the nature of her injuries, according to a criminal
complaint.
Naomi Mondesire
Police say Naomi was submerged up to her waist in 130-degree water
for 30 seconds. The little girl died from thermal injuries to 50 per
cent of her body Monday, three days after doctors at Nassau University
Medical Center performed surgery on her.
Naomi’s grandmother was heartbroken and furious at the woman she had
hired to look after the little girl just one day before she was scalded.
Naomi and her mother
Gardite Mondesire, 54, said she returned to her apartment on Memphis
Avenue in the Rosedale section of Queens at around 7.25pm Tuesday to
find her tenant running around the home picking up pieces of her
granddaughter’s skin.
When she got Adebayo on the phone, the nurse allegedly claimed she didn’t know how Naomi got scalded.
‘She said “It’s bad. I did something bad. The baby got burned,”’
Mondesire told the New York Daily News. ‘But she said she didn’t know
how.’
Corey Brock, Naomi’s father, challenged Adebayo’s claims that she had tested the water before placing his daughter in the tub.
‘She claimed it was a mistake. She claimed she checked the water.
It’s impossible,’ Brock told CBS News. ‘If she had checked the water,
she would have been burnt also.’
Brock also pointed out that had the nurse been innocent, she would not have tried to flee the country Wednesday night.
Brock also pointed out that had the nurse been innocent, she would not have tried to flee the country Wednesday night.
Naomi’s grandmother
The 54-year-old was detained at John F. Kennedy International Airport
at around 7am while trying to board a flight to Nigeria via London.
Adebayo, who according to her LinkedIn page has been a licensed nurse
practitioner for more than 16 years, could face up to 25 years to life
in convicted.
‘The defendant had been trained to heal and save lives – which she is
accused of failing to fulfill,’ DA Brown said in a press release. ‘The
tiny victim suffered extraordinarily painful injuries for several days
before she died. This is a terribly sad and tragic case that could have
been prevented.’
Naomi’s mother, 32-year-old Cynthia Mondesire, said she had had two
miscarriages before giving birth to Naomi – her only surviving child.
*Culled from Mail Online
Please share your thoughts in the comment box below
